Fresh Details on Sony's New XPERIA X1 Smartphone

More details have surfaced on Sony Ericsson's (NYSE: SNE) much-anticipated Xperia X1 phone, which the company is positioning as a "mobile Web communication" device. The X1 – which is the first of the Xperia line due out – has a spec list that reads like an open challenge to the iPhone. In Sony Ericsson's verbiage: "The need for multiple devices – such as a mobile phone, an e-mail client, a mobile companion for a PC and more – are all met in one device with easy-to-use functionality." It's been known for some time that the X1 would feature a 3-inch VGA LCD screen and a 3.2MP camera, along with a arc-shaped sliding keyboard and the latest HSDPA speeds (among other features.) But with claims like "all-in-one," Sony really needed to back that up with some storage specs and battery life.

Now, the electronics giant has: the phone will ship with 256MB of SDRAM as well as 512MB of onboard NAND Flash for storage (and will support MicroSD cards as well). Sony also released hard numbers on battery life: 10 hours of talk time, or around 6.5 hours if you're using UMTS for data. (UMTS is one of the emerging 3G data technologies everyone's always talking about.) If you're making video calls, you can expect just over 3 hours of operation time, which is less than the devices recharge period of 3.5 hours for a 1500 mAh lithium polymer battery. The X1 is slated to arrive in September.